Helen Casey was born on January 9, 1920 in Lead, South Dakota, the youngest of six children.� The family lived in Lead, where Mrs. Casey's father worked at the Homestake Gold Mining Co., until she was seven years old, at which time they moved to Lansing, Michigan.�
Mrs. Casey spent the rest of her young life in Lansing, which she considers her hometown, and attended high school at Lansing Central High, now the site of Lansing Community College.� After graduating in January of 1938, she enrolled at Michigan State University where she spent two years.� She then transferred to The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor for her junior and senior years, majoring in Latin, minoring in history and English. She graduated in 1942 with a Bacholor of Arts from the Lit school. She taught school for three years in Mt. Morris, Michigan.�
On July 17 she married Captain John Casey in Lansing. At that time he was stationed at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio, and they had met at the Catholic student center at the University of Michigan while they were both students.� The couple moved to Midland, Michigan shortly after they married so that John could take a job with Dow Chemical Corporation.� Between 1946 and 1954, they had four children: Janet, Brian, Kevin, and Dennis.�
Over the years, Mrs. Casey became actively involved with the peace movement, specifically through Pax Christi, an international peace movement, started after World War II. She is also heavily involved in a group that works on behalf of justice in the Catholic church and the broader society which is Call to Action.
Mrs. Casey currently lives in Midland, Michigan.
Copyright 2003 Sarah Leonard
Early Life
University of Michigan
Catholicism
Peace Activism
Links
About This Site